Earth Watchers
In the Aeon of the Champion ''story series, the '''Earth Watchers '(or Watchers) were a group of powerful angels charged by the Aesir with overseeing the process of clean-up and recovery on Middle-Earth in the aftermath of the Sin War against the Princes of Hell and their insidious Black Empire. They were tasked with aiding the dragonflights and Wild Gods during this period, and also to watch for any physical signs of demonic taint. They were led for the longest time by Shemyaza, the High Watcher. They warded Middle-Earth from floating golden watchtowers, using them as vessels with which to communicate with their servants (as they struggled to manifest in the physical world without a large amount of energy that could break the planet). The group disbanded in -5,000 with the outbreak of the War of the Ancients. Araqiel continues as High Watcher Emeritus. History The office of Watcher was created shortly after the end of the Sin War in -60,000. With the demon princes safety sealed away under the earth, it was time to help the planet recover from their demonic taint. In addition to a number of other guardians and helper groups, such as the dragonflights and Wild Gods, the Aesir also empowered a select few angels among their ranks to guard the world itself, presiding over the re-ordering of Middle-Earth. Their duties were to be paternalistic non-interventional; their chief job was to manage the Aesir's underlings and ensure there was no sign of relapse. 600 of these beings were chosen from the thousands of remaining angelic forces, and given special recognition. The first 100 Watchers were all Scholari angels, the distinguished followers of Mazranuth the Lorekeeper. However, Vanir eventually began being promoted to the office after -56,000. The leader of the Watchers was Shemyaza, the Anointed One. He reported directly to Duterius, the Archangel of Valour himself, and was the Aesir's source of information regarding events surrounding Middle-Earth while they deliberated policy in the remote Angiris Citadel, within the borders of the Silver City. For over 30,000 years, they tirelessly watched as the shaping of the planet began: the creation of the Jade District, the blessing of Middle-Earth's forests by the faes, and the rise of mortal civilisation. The increasing development of the planet meant that the Watchers rarely - if ever - needed to enter the planet themselves. This was just as well, given that manifesting in their physical forms would require too much energy. The success of the re-ordering process naturally caused complacency to grow among the Watchers. Some warned against the growing feeling of accomplishment in the group, pointing out that it was premature to consider their work done. But these words fell on death ears. Some of the angels were already making plans for their next moves after the tedious process of watching over Middle-Earth was done. Seeing how beautiful the world was, and how perfectly ordered its elements were, caused great resent when the Watchers remembered they couldn't actually experience these wonders for themselves. Those feelings were sensed by the evil Princes of Hell, who seized upon them and exploited them to full potential. Using Yeqon, the most rebellious of the Earth Watchers, as their voice inside the group, the princes successfully twisted the once-stoic guardians. First, they egged on Yeqon's misguided thoughts and feelings, causing him to become entrenched in his beliefs. Then, the demons used his as their spokesperson to preach heresy to his fellow Watchers, encouraging them to turn their backs on their angelic brethren. At first, these ideas disgusted the vanguard, but they eventually came to accept them. The Watcher chain of command became convinced by these wicked words, all the way up to High Watcher Shemyaza himself. To ensure that his target took the bait, Yeqon called Shemyaza for an exclusive meeting between themselves and Araqiel, the other senior watcher among them, to further encourage the betrayal. Araqiel rejected this idea outright, horrified, but the Anointed One remained unconvinced. After this, Shemyaza sat down to ponder what had been discussed in the meeting. He was unaware, however, that the demonic taint was speaking to him directly, and he allowed it to control his very thoughts. Deciding that Araqiel was wrong and it was high time the Watchers found a new job, he rallied the vanguard and took them through the Fleshing, a painful process that saw the angels give up their immortality for the chance at mortal life. Once mortal, the Watchers quickly found themselves disgusted with their new selves after realising that they could experience true pain for the first time. Furious, Shemyaza branded Yeqon a traitor and prepared to slay him - until the unapologetic angel came up with a new plan: the ex-watchers would pool their power and create a new kingdom, ruling over themselves, independent of the dogmatic Heavens. Raising an island out of the ground, the Watchers created Terris Aurum ("golden land") as their new domain, with Shemyaza ruling telepathically (from atop his floating fortress) as King of Terris Aurum for the next 4,000 years, and Yeqon as his Grand Vizier. Lilitu, the Succubi Princess, was observing the Watchers with growing interest. Understanding the power they possessed, she resolved to make them - specifically Shemyaza - the focus of her plot to free her master Asmodee, Lord of Sin, from his prison complex. Manipulating events from the shadows, Shemyaza's heart blackened, and his joy - kept alive through his rule over Terris Aurum - eventually dissipated completely. The fallen angel slipped into a brooding depression, resorting to increasingly desperate methods to cure his mental health issues. Yeqon, his respected Grand Vizier, then advised him to seek out a mate among the mortal people of the planet, in the hopes that one would impress him and he would keep her. This was exactly what Lilitu intentioned: Shemyaza went through several relationships - some simultaneously - but could not find a woman who pleased him. Relationships between mortals and angels, he realised, was more difficult than expected. Plus, their offspring - the nephilim - were becoming violent and hard to control, and some even attempted rebellion. As punishment, Shem exiled them to Jotunheim. Asmodeus violated Yeqon's dream space, causing him to have terrific visions. There, he saw his master and King, finally and eternally bonded with the woman of his dreams. It would cure his maddening depression, and restore the lustre to Terris Aurum once and for all. Although he could only faintly see her face, for the vision was falling apart due to demonic taint, Asmodeus' hellish whispers repeated one word: Lilitu. ''Informing Shemyaza of this mysterious 'Lilitu', the Watcher King resolved to go on an expedition to find her and bring her back to his kingdom for marriage, and around -28,000, he abandoned his throne at a critical moment. The developments deeply disturbed the other Watchers, so they continued their observations while keeping the Aesir abreast of the situation. Without angelic light to guard the throne of Terris Aurum, a darkness fell over the once-magnificent kingdom, hailing the forthcoming return of the Black Empire. Now Lilitu sprang her trap. Guiding Shemyaza to a remote location, she baited him into pledging allegiance to Asmodeus himself. This, Shemyaza willingly did - anything in order to be with this illustrious, otherwordly woman. This despite the fact that Lilitu did not intend to make good on any of the vows she made to him; it was all a ruse to get him to do what she wanted. With Shemyaza now being played like a puppet by Lilitu, the throne of Terris Aurum in chaos, and Asmodeus ever closer to his escape, the collapse of the re-ordering was a terrifying prospect. Sensing the impending danger, Araqiel rallied the other Watchers and beseeched them to intervene in earthly affairs once again, this time to save the very planet they had curated for millenia from one of their own: Asmodeus, his cunning lieutenant Lilith, and her seducee, the now-crazed Shemyaza, posed a major threat to the universe combined. Thus began the Second Sin War. Chief Members *'Shemyaza: The Anointed One, Lord of the Watchers'. He answered personally to Duterius, Archangel of Valour himself. **Yeqon the Wise: responsible for the stewardship of all knowledge on Middle-Earth, he answered personally to Melzedal, Archangel of Wisdom. **Araqiel the Righteous Crusader: chief enforcer of the Watchers, responsible for maintaining law and order amongst the group. He answered to Ragael, Archangel of Justice. **Chazaqiel the Skyreader: responsible for interpreting signs and wonders, and reported to Umbriel, Archangel of Fate. **Bezaliel the Faithful: second High Watcher after Shemyaza's fall. Trivia *The suicide rate for fallen angels is '''67%'. For Watchers, this rises to 80%. **This is one of the reasons why it is 'not recommended '''to go through the Fleshing, as their souls are tied to the Holy Light which acts as their source of happiness, supplying an angel with the will to live. The mortal worlds are ''not ''made for them. This is partly the reason why Shemyaza was so miserable during his 4,000-year rule on Earth, and looked to increasingly desperate measures to keep his emotions afloat. *During the Sin War, Duterius led the assault against Asmodeus and his Empire, slaying hordes of succubi chaplains from the Sisterhood of Fidelity. As a result, Lilith had a personal grudge against him, and she secured her revenge by corrupting and then turning his former servant, Shemyaza. *The Earth Watchers in the AoC story are borrowed from Christian texts. **The story of Shemyaza being tempted by Lilith is based off of a similar version of events. The difference is that in ''Aeon of the Champion, the succubus intentionally waited for Shemyaza to become depressed enough for her to exploit him fully. *Yeqon, Asbeel, Gader'el, Kasadaya and Penemue were the first watchers to be corrupted. Yeqon was first among them to fall into sin, eventually poisoning the Watcher chain of command to the point where even Shemyaza himself was deceived. **Yeqon was later used by Lilith and Asmodeus to destroy the Kingdom of Terris Aurum after Shemyaza abandoned his throne, driven to madness by the whispers of the Princes of Hell. Category:Organizations Category:Government organizations Category:Smurf Manian's articles Category:Aeon of the Champion articles Category:People with socio-political power Category:People with supernatural power